Renewable Fuels and Chemicals for Switzerland (reFuel.ch) 
The overall target of reFuel.ch (Renewable Fuels and Chemicals for Switzerland) is to improve the sustainability and reduce the costs of sustainable fuels and platform chemicals by increasing the efficiency, selectivity, and load-flexibility of production plants to comply with long-term climate policy goals.
The consortium will investigate how investment security can be improved by closing the knowledge gap between technical and non-technical aspects of sustainable fuels. Robust and practical pathways for the introduction of sustainable fuels and platform chemicals into markets and the Swiss energy system will be developed. To achieve this, inputs from social and natural sciences and engineering as well as from the dialogue with relevant stakeholders will be included. A second aim is to strengthen innovative technologies currently at low technology readiness level.
Funding body: BFE
Partners: Casale, EPFL, ETH, FHNW, PSI, SUPSI, UBA, USI, ZHAW, ZAV
Contact: Robin Mutschler 

Pathways towards net-zero of the Swiss energy system depending on European net-zero strategies (PATHWAYS NET ZERO)
To reach net zero by 2050, Switzerland (CH) must adopt an adequate strategy to invest into new technologies (e.g. PV, wind, storage, power-to-gas, etc.). This investment strategy, however, also depends on the investment strategies of other European (EU) countries in order to reach their net-zero targets. There are mainly two options how Switzerland can make investments based on other countries' investment strategies: i) "simultaneously" (i.e. in parallel with other countries) or ii) "sequentially" (i.e. only after other countries have already made their investments). Both strategies may eventually lead to net-zero in Switzerland, however, at different costs and CO2 emissions en route to net-zero. In this project, different Swiss net-zero investment strategies are investigated by modeling simultaneous (cooperative) and sequential (non-cooperative) investments in CH and EU. To this end, concepts and tools from game theory are coupled with traditional energy system modelling. Moreover, the CO2 content of energy carriers (i.e. electricity) is modelled dynamically from a life-cycle (LCA) point of view. Eventually, a cost and CO2 optimal net-zero investment strategy for Switzerland will be found. This optimal strategy will be provided both for the electricity sector and the entire energy system by means of sector coupling.
Funding body: Empa (internal call)
Partners: University of Geneva
Contact: Romano Elliot-Elie
Involved groups: MES